Wheel Cleaners 10/29/12

At this storage facility, the upscale cars get top-notch service. Owner James Machinist makes sure his team pays special attention to the wheels. James Machinist "Every time you hit the brakes, brake dust gets on the wheels. Every time you hit a rock, it chips the wheel. Every time it rains, the road gunk comes up and gets on the wheel." While few people have extra cars in storage, keeping your wheels clean can prevent them from dulling or getting damaged. Consumer Reports tested five cleaners designed for cleaning wheels, from names like ArmorAll and Black Magic. All promise to get rid of "brake dust and grime." The spray-on, hose-off cleaners cost anywhere from five to seven dollars. To test, Bernie Deitrick took "before" pictures and then went to work. He wiped off some dirt "for the record" - applied each cleaner as directed -and waited. He rinsed … and wiped the tire with a second cloth so he could compare "before" and "after" dirt. Bernie Deitrick,"During the test, I didn't use a brush with these products because I wanted to see how well the product itself worked." Turns out none of the products delivered dazzling results without brushing. To get that required some scrubbing. Bernie Deitrick,"There are better options than these wheel cleaners. If you're going to have to brush to get good results, you might as well start with a less expensive product that gives good results with brushing." The ZEP degreaser Bernie used costs a lot less - about 10 dollars for a gallon. That's just pennies per wheel! " .

Copyright 2012 by WKBT News8000. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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